An IDF D9 armored bulldozer drove over two explosives planted along the border
between northern Gaza and Israel on Monday, setting off both bombs.

There
were no injuries in the incident, and the vehicle, designed to withstand
powerful blasts, was left undamaged.

The bulldozer was carrying out
routine clearance work to keep the border region sterile, a senior army source
said, and continued on its mission after the explosion.

The bombs were
set off by the weight of the vehicle, and were not activated by remote
control.

The source added that the incident represented an unusual
upsurge in border attacks. It came three days after a remote-controlled explosive
was detonated by Gaza terrorists in the vicinity of soldiers carrying out
routine missions along the border.

“We know that terrorist elements are
exploiting the area near the fence to plant explosives,” the IDF source said,
adding that “this is not an ordinary attack.”

The IDF has not yet named
the factions behind the bomb attacks on Sunday and Thursday.

In recent
days, the IDF deployed an Iron Dome rocket defense battery in Ashkelon as part
of precautionary measures ahead of what was then believed to be an imminent US
strike in Syria.

A senior IDF source said last week that he did not
believe Gaza-based terrorist organizations had made a decision to launch rockets
on Israel in response to a US strike.

At the same time, the source said,
the IDF is monitoring developments in the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula.